Of Nicknames and Memories
by Phoebegirl319
Summary: Damon takes a trip down memory lane one quiet night.  One-shot.


**Author's Note: ** Hey everyone. So, this story just randomly came to me today, and I just had to write it! All translations were done on the internet, so I don't know how accurate they are. It's set sometime in season one. Enjoy and please leave reviews :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.**

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><p>"Damy! Damy!" A little boy was running across the yard. He looked to be just out of the toddler stage, but was often mistaken for one because of his small size. He had soft light brown hair that glistened in the sun as his little body sprinted across the yard and forest green eyes.<p>

An older boy with jet-black hair and cool blue eyes was sitting near a tree. He was currently reading when he took notice of a certain shouting of his "name". Damon placed his book down and watched with some concern as the much younger boy almost tripped getting to him.

"Careful, Stefan!" Damon called out to the four year old.

Stefan, seemingly not taking note of Damon's words, ran even faster and practically flew into the recently turned eleven-year olds arms – latching on firmly in a "crushing" hug and somewhat catching Damon by surprise.

"Oomph!" Damon re-adjusted his grip on Stefan as the young child scrambled to wrap his bare feet around his waist.

"Damy, Damy! I found you!" Stefan snuggled contently in his brother's arms.

Damon laughed affectionately. "Yes, little brother, you found me." Damon brought himself and Stefan down to sit on the grass, placing Stefan on his lap since he apparently was over-affectionate today. _Little brothers_, Damon sighed.

"Stefan, where are your shoes? Father will not like you getting dirty." Damon didn't really care, but he'd rather keep his brother out of trouble.

Stefan thought for a moment. "I forgot them!" He smiled back at Damon, thinking this got him off the hook. Damon merely shrugged.

"So, what's up Stef?" Damon asked.

Stefan looked back shyly. "I missed you and wanted to give you a hug because I wasn't able to this morning because I slept in and you already left with all the other big kids and I missed you and I was upset and the nanny told me not to be and father was upset but I wanted Damy!" Stefan babbled, talking a mile a minute and quickly working himself into a little rant, ending with a small pout.

And despite being only four, Stefan was very intelligent for his age. Most children his age could barely speak a sentence properly – and here was his little brother going on a _rant_ no less.

Damon's eyes widened a little as his brother rambled. His little brother was upset because he hadn't **hugged** him this morning. The older boy felt the usual warmth around his heart start that normally occurred whenever Stefan did something particularly cute. This definitely qualified.

"Whoa, whoa. Hey, calm down there Stefan. It's ok, little brother. I had to actually leave earlier this morning, so it wasn't your fault." Stefan looked relieved and rested back against Damon's chest.

"But, you know, **I** gave you a hug when you were sleeping this morning, because I know how much you love them." Damon smiled back at his shocked little brother.

"Damy gave me a hug?" Stefan smiled brightly as Damon nodded. "But why didn't Stefan wake up?" Damon proceeded to look on at his brother in amusement as he spoke of himself in the third person. "Stefan should know when Damon gives him a hug! Damy's hugs are the best!"

Stefan then began explaining to himself why Damon gave the best hugs. "He picks you up and you can rest your head on his shoulder and he wraps his arms around you and you feel so safe and warm! It's better than a teddy or blanky. No matter what all the other dumb kids say." Stefan ended logically, almost as though someone had been challenging him.

Damon chuckled and ruffled his hair. "You needed the sleep Stefan. Don't be upset – I didn't expect you to wake up." Stefan still looked bothered and got out of his brother's lap and proceeded to wobble around.

"Baby brother, just where do you think you're going?" Damon got up from his sitting position to follow his confusing little brother.

"I saw some horses. I want to play with the horsies, Damy!" Stefan shouted excitedly, pointing to the stable in the distance.

Damon shook his head. "No, you can't ride on the horses yourself. You have to do it with Damon."

"Yay! Ride with Damy!" Stefan jumped around happily, his hair flopping all over the place.

Damon rolled his eyes. "_Steefan._ How long are you going to call me Damy? We've been over this. It's **Damon**."

Stefan tilted his head. "I always call you Damy. That's your name silly!"

"Noo, my name is Damon. Just like yours is Stefan. No goofy name."

"Damy is a goofy name? But I love Damy the most!" Damon rolled his eyes again, exasperated. He knew that Stefan had first learned his name as "Damy", but he did wish that he would start using his proper name more frequently. His little brother was obviously attached to the nickname.

"Yes, Damy is goofy. It's equivalent to me saying, Stefy." Damon explained.

Stefan gasped, eyes twinkling. "Ooh, call me Stefy! We can be Damy and Stefy, Damy!" Stefan ran over to his big brother and hugged his legs fiercely.

The boy picked his small baby brother up from his legs and settled him on his hips as he made for the stables.

"Stef that was not supposed to be a compliment."

"But you call me "Stef" all the time! So you're nickname is Damy!" Stefan reasoned.

"Hush, baby brother." Stefan huffed and blew out air in his big brother's face as protest. Damon gave him a serious frown and Stefan backed down. The little Salvatore then stuck his thumb in his mouth and laid his head on Damon's chest, eyes slightly drooping from the rhythmic motions of Damon walking.

The young pre-teen held little Stefan tight as he made his way up to the stables, Stefan's soft baby hair occasionally tickling his chin.

"Ok, Stef. We're here." Damon looked down at the bundle in his arms when there was no response. Stefan was still awake, but barely. His eyes were halfway closed and he seemed to not really realize that they had reached their destination.

Damon sat down again and spread his little brother on his lap so his head rested on his knee. Damon ran a hand through Stefan's hair again, noticing that the brown was starting to get even lighter, turning into a more blond. Another difference that stood out dramatically from his own black hair, which seemed to turn darker every year.

Damon shook Stefan slightly. "Stefaan. We're here you little goof! We're by the horsies that you love so much."

Stefan stirred slightly, mumbling. "I love horsies Damon." The child yawned and blinked owlishly back up at him.

"Ok, well let's go then Stefan. We won't have much time till Father wants us back for dinner. And you know how much I hate to disappoint him." Damon smirked.

Stefan frowned at him. "Damy, don't be bad! Bad Damy!"

The elder Salvatore, getting annoyed that his little brother kept calling him Damy, ignored him and started tickling him. "Oh but you know how bad I can be brother! So bad that no one would dare call me Damy!"

Stefan squealed and tried to squirm away. "No Damy, stop! Stop Damy! Damy!"

"Not until you say my proper name Stefan!"

Damon tickled Stefan even harder and the little boy almost began crying. "Ok, ok, Damon pwease stop! Pw-wease!" Fat tears started to leak out and roll down his cheeks.

The elder Salvatore stopped instantly, knowing he had pushed his brother too hard. Stefan continued crying and wobbled away from Damon's lap, going towards the stables. Damon shot up immediately and was in front of Stefan in a matter of seconds, picking up the sobbing boy from the ground and carrying him away from the entrance; the horses excited from Stefan's cries.

"Stefan Salvatore!" Damon scolded. "You know you aren't allowed anywhere near the stables without me or an adult! Lei sa meglio piccolo fratello! (you know better little brother!)" Damon shouted fluently in Italian. Stefan couldn't speak Italian as well as Damon, but he definitely knew that whenever Damon did speak in Italian, he was in trouble.

Stefan looked up at Damon with big, wet eyes. "Mi-dispiace. Mi—dis-piace. (I'm sorry. I'm sorry.)" Stefan hid his face in Damon's chest.

"Damon mi ami? Grande fratello amore Stefan? (Damon love me? Big brother love Stefan?)" Stefan asked.

Damon sighed. He kissed his baby brother on his soft mop of hair and hugged him fiercely. "Naturalmente piccolo. Naturalmente bebè fratello. (Of course, little one. Of course, baby brother.)" Stefan wrapped his small bare feet around Damon's lean middle again and hugged his chest tightly, sniffling.

The two brothers stood like that for a while. The older boy comforting the child until he finally settled and lay content in his arms.

Damon pulled his baby brother so he could look at his face. "Are you ok now, baby brother?" Stefan nodded and gave a small smile

"I'm sorry for being rough with the tickling. But I'm serious about the stables and what I say is off limits for you." Stefan nodded again.

"Your Italian is coming in nicely, fratellino." Damon praised.

Stefan gave him a big smile. "I learn best from you big brother!"

Damon smiled at this. "Well, isn't that the truth." "Alright. Let's go ride some horsies, huh Stefy?"

Stefan blinked back at him for a moment and then shouted excitedly. "Yay! Damy and Stefy ride horsies!"

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><p>Damon gasped as he was pulled out of the memory, Stefan's child-like voice still echoing in his head.<p>

The house had been quiet. Stefan had gone to bed hours ago and Damon had just come back from a night out, relaxing on the couch. Then he had felt a certain presence in his head, somewhat calling out to him.

It had shocked him when he realized that presence was his younger brother. He must have been doing it unconsciously though. Intrigued, Damon closed his eyes and sought out Stefan's mind and was immediately pulled into his brother's dream.

But it hadn't been a dream. It was a memory. A long ago, almost forgotten memory that stirred emotions inside Damon he found hard to process.

_Damy….Stefy.._

Damon suddenly flashed up the stairs and into Stefan's room. Stefan was fast asleep, curled on his side not noticing Damon's presence.

Walking closer, Damon took note that Stefan looked very peaceful in his sleep and content.

Thinking back, Damon recalled the little Stefan he had just witnessed in present Stefan's dream. He had been so small then. Well, Stefan was still small, but small enough to just carry him like a baby..

Stefan sighed in his sleep and reached his hand unconsciously towards Damon. "Damon." Stefan smiled and Damon realized that Stefan had been calling out to the eleven year-old Damon in his dream.

The older vampire's hands started moving on their own accord and he found them resting on Stefan's head; slightly moving back the dark blond/light brown locks.

"I knew you would go blond." Damon smirked to himself, thinking back to the observation he had made long ago when Stefan's hair had been darker as a child.

It seemed as though all Damon's initial thoughts had been wrong. When he first returned to Mystic Falls he thought for sure Stefan wanted nothing to do with him. But Damon now knew this to be so very wrong. He could just feel the need Stefan was projecting to have them be the way they were before. To be "Damy and Stefy" again.

_Well not all is lost fratellino._ Damon once more ran a hand through Stefan's hair before he was gone in an instant, sensing his brother beginning to wake at his touch.

As he made his way into his own room, pondering if he would even be able to achieve sleep with everything that had happened tonight, Damon heard the faint sound of a soft whisper.

"Damy?"


End file.
